I may nowe at this tyme receyue this holy sacrifice of thy blessed body and blode with puryte of hart clenenes of conscience with the gracious fountayne of deuout swete teares with desyre drede with honour and reuerence / with mekenes of harte / and feruour of loue / with spirituall gladnes and heuenly ioy And yf it may please thy goodnes lorde let me be somwhat reysed vp in spirite I dare not say vnto the very felynge and perceyuynge but vnto some maner lytle smake or taste of the swetenes of thy godly mooste pleasaunt presence and vnto the deuocion of thy holy aungels and sayntes that here be now presente about the same / and that I maye with them fynally be there present where now they be Amen O Moost gentyll lorde mercyfull sauyour Iesu / I beseche the for this holy mystery of thy blessed body and blode wherwith we vnworthy wretches ben dayly fed in thy churche and dayly wasshed clensed sanctified and made hole / and so parteyners of thy moost hygh diuinity and godhed Graunt me lord and gyue me the precious garment of innocency with suche garnysshe of other garmētes therunto accordyng as best may please thy grace Wherwith apparelled / bawned / dressed I may as in my nupciall and weddynge clothyng in good and clene cōscience approche vnto thy presence So that this celestiall heuenly sacrament ryceyued may be vnto me helth and saluacion of soule and body / vnto lyue euerlastynge Amen GOod swete mayster moste hyghly lerned / and best expert phisicion lord Iesu my sauyour I beseche thy gentyll harte to cure and hele my infyrme / feble / syke hart frome all maner of langoures / diseases / and sykenesses / Palate is the rofe of the mouthe and so to refourme and season the palate of my soule and mynd that I neuer sauer fele ne taste any maner of swetenes but onely thy selfe For thou good lord arte the moost swete sauored bred / the moost white / pleasaunte and most noble and beste nourisshynge bread / the bread of all breades / the bread paynmayne of pleasure the bread of all fortitude and strength / the bread of all vnderstandynge and knowledge / the bread of all grace good wyll / the bread of lyfe that hast in thy selfe all maner of delectament and pleasure / gyuest lyfe vnto the world And of thy moost excellent charity doste euer contynually refresshe and fede vs with thyne owne selfe yet in thy selfe doste nothyng waste / minushe / ne faynte / or fayle Let my hart good lord therfore fede vpon the / spiritually eate and drynke the / be so fed of the / that my soule may be fully saciat and fylled of the swete sauyour and taste of the sauory swetenes of thy diuine presence GOod swete lorde / I beseche the come thy selfe / entre in to my hart make clene myne inward partes from all inquinamētes / and filthynes of mynd and of spirite Entre good lord into my soule / make me whole frome all synfull diseases Sanctifye clēse me now and at al tymes vnto thy selfe for thy selfe Be thou good lord thy selfe both the phisicion the medicin / the salue and the surgeon the helth and conseruaciō of both my body soule Put awaye from me good lord all the crafty assayles and the sleyghty wyles of myne enimies that they haue nothynge to do with me but that thou lord alone may occupy me wholly vnto thy selfe so that nothyng els haue any tyme power ouer me but that I alwaye preserued and defended by this blessyd sacramēt may go forth contynue profyte perseuerantly in the pathe and way of my profession / thy holy christiā religion with due obseruaūce reguler disciplines christiā maners and all due catholyke obedience perteynyng vnto the same And that I neuer consent ne lene vnto any of them that ben contrarious thereunto Amen Ex cano ne miss GOod blessyd lorde father omnipotent eterne euerlastynge god I moost entierly beseche thy goodnes to graunt me grace so worthely now to receyue this holy sacred body and blessyd blode of my swete sauyour Iesu Christe that I may therby deserue to haue full remission and forgyuenes of all my synnes and to be replete and fulfylled with thy holy spirit and to haue thy peace For thou alone art my lord thou only my god / and non other thou lorde the entiere and inward loue of my hart / the true quietude and sure rest of my mynde the whole desyre of my soule Whose gloryouse impery and gouernaunce remayneth perfectly abydeth cōtynueth and indureth for euermore world without ende Amen MI swete lord god Ex eodē father of heuyn the fountayne well and spryng of all bountie goodnes / that moued of thy moost pyteouse mercy woldest vouchesafe that thyn owne sonne our sauiour Iesu Christe shulde descende and come down for vs for our sake vnto this wretched worlde / and here take flesshe and bloode of the blessyd virgyn his mother Mary and therin for vs to susteyne suffre and bere our myseryes moost bytter passyon intollerable and greuous payns and moost cruell and mooste shamefull dethe I beseche the lord graūt me that grace that I may dayly worshype the gloryfy the / and with all the intēt and wyll of my hart I may laude prayse the. And that thou good lord neuer leue ne forsake me / thy pore and wretched seruaunt but of thy depe and great mercy thou clerely forgyue and forget all my synnes So that in clene hart and chast body I may be able to serue the alone / my lorde eterne / euerlastyng / lyuynge / and very God omnipotent Amen Myne owne swete lorde sauyour Iesu very essenciall sonne of almyghty God / that of thy profound depe mercy by the wyll of thy eterne father by the workynge of the holy ghost haste by thy passion and deth quyckened and redemed the world I beseche moost lowly thy holy grace / in the honour of this thy holy sacred body blessed blode whiche I vnworthy wretche presume to receyue for the welthe of my soule that thou wilt vouchsafe to perdō my boldenes and to delyuer me quyte from all iniquities / offenses / all maner of euyls whereby in any tymes I haue or may any tyme hereafter offend or displease thy gracious goodnes And thou good lord make me euer obedient vnto thy wyll and commaundement And that thou neuer suffre me swete lorde to be perpetually departed from the my swete lord sauyour Iesu Christe that with the father with the holy ghoste lyueste and reygnest very selfe same essenciall god / world without ende Amen O Souerayn lorde sauyour Iesu / although I most vnworthy wretche now here do accede presume approche vnto this worthy sacrament of thy mooste precyous body and bloode yet I beseche thy
you maye in youthe teche theÌ„ what ye wyll / and that shall they lengest kepe remembre We shuld therfore aboue all thynges take hede and care in what company our chylderen bene nourysshed and brought vp For educacion and doctrine that is to saye bryngynge vp and lernynge done make the maners with good and vertuous persones saythe the prophete you shal be good and vertuous Psalmo xvii And with the euyll persones you shall be also euyll Let our chylder therfore vse and kepe good company The pye the iay and other byrdes done speake what they moste here by eare The plouer by syght wyll folowe the gesture and behauyour of the fowler And the ape by exercise wyll worke and do as she is taught / and so wyll the dogge by violence contrary to naturall disposicion lerne to daunce The chylder therfore that by reason don far excede other creatures wyll bere awaye what they here spoken they shulde therefore be vsed vnto suche company where they shulde here none euyll / but where they maye here godly and Christian wordes They wyll also haue in theyr gestures and behauyoure suche maners as they se beholde in other persones And as they bene taught / so wyll they do / and in many thynges they maye be compelled vnto a contynuall custome / whiche dothe alter and chaunge naturall disposicion Vnto some craftes or occupacions a certayne age is requyred in chylder / but vertu and vyce maye be lerned in euery age We must se therfore that in any wyse you vse no company but good and vertuous And as soone as they can speke we must also teche our chylder to serue god and saye the Pater noster Aue. and Crede as I sayd before And nat only our chylder but also se and proue that all our seruauÌ„tes what age so euer they be of caÌ„ say the same And therfore don we vse dayly the in euery mele / dyner or soupper / one persone shulde with lowde voyce say thus The fyrst peticion PAter noster qui es in celis sanctificetÌ„ nomen tuum ✿ Good lorde god our holy father the arte in heueÌ„ let thy name he sanctified that is to meane / I beseche the graunte vs grace to blesse to honoure to laude and prayse thy holy name The seconde ¶ Adueniat regnum tuum ✿ Good lord god our father that art in heuen / let thy kyngdome come that is I beseche the lorde that all the people of the worlde may come vnto the grace of baptisme and so be the faythfull subiectes of thy realme and kyngdome of Christianite The thyrde ¶ Fiat voluntas tua sicut in celo et in terra ✿ Good lorde god our father that arte in heuen lett thy wyll be wrought in erth as it is wrought in heuen that is to meane I beseche the lorde that all thy christian people here in erth maye perfourme thy wyll and kepe thy coÌ„maundementes after theyr estate and condicion as thy holy angels and sayntes done in heuen after theyr state and degre The fourthe ¶ Panem nostrum cotidianuÌ„ da nobis hodie ✿ Good lorde god our holy father that arte in heuen gyue and graunte vnto vs this day our dayly brede that is to meane I beseche the good lord graunte vnto vs contynually the spirituall fode grace and effecte of thy holy sacramentes Or thus Graunte vnto vs the contynuall grace and effecte of thy holy sacramentes / whiche is the dayly fode of our soules spirituall suerty of our saluacion The fyfthe ¶ Et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris ✿ Good lord god our holy father that arte in heuen forgyue vs our dettes as we done forgyue our detters that is to meane I beseche the good lord forgyue and pardon me and all Christians all maner of offences and trespaces done agaynste the and thy lawes / lykewyse as we done forgyue all maner of persones all maner of greues and trespaces done agaynste vs. The .vi. ¶ Et ne nos inducas in teÌ„tationem ✿ Good lord god our holy father that arte in heuen / lede vs nat in to temptacion / that is to meane I beseche the good lord suffre me not ne any Christian to be lede or brought by any temptation / vnto the full consente of any synne The .vii. ¶ Sed libera nos a malo ✿ But good lorde god our holy father that arte in heueÌ„ delyuer me all christians from euyll that is to meane I beseche the good lorde / that not onely thou kepe me and all thy people from all synne and offence of thy goodnes / but also that thou wylte delyuer and make vs quyte of all synnes paste / and conserue and kepe vs continually in the state of grace AmeÌ„ So be it that is to meane / good lorde we beseche the that all these thynges maye come to passe in full effecte / accordynge to our peticion and desyre This prayer of the Pater noster / is the most excellent prayer bycause the our sauyour made it hym selfe / and taught it to his disciples ¶ The Aue Maria is the most plesaunte prayer and of most honoure vnto our blessed lady bycause one parte therof is the salutacion of the angell Gabriell wherby immediatly after her consente she conceyued the sone of god in her wombe And the other parte was spokeÌ„ vnto her by saynt Elizabeth inspired and moued thervnto by the spirite of god the holy ghost And therfore do we set forth the Aue maria after suche maner as we dyd the Pater noster AVe Maria gratia plena dominê° tecum benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus AmeÌ„ ⧠Hayle Mari full of grace god is with the. Blessed be thou amoÌ„g women and blessed be the fruyte of thy wombe Iesus Christe god and man Amen So mote it be ¶ That fyrst worde Aue whiche I do Englyshe after the commune maner hayle is a worde of salutacion as we say in commune coÌ„gresses or metynges together God spede you god saue you god blesse you Good morowe / good eueÌ„ god spede god be at your game god be at your werke god sende you with suche other after the maner of the countrey where it is spoken And the last worde Amen it is a worde of consente or desyre that the mater spokeÌ„ before shuld vnderstande what euery worde meaneth ¶ Nowe doth folowe the Crede ¶ The fyrste article CRedo in deuÌ„ patrem omnipotentem Saynte Peter creatorem celi et terre ✿ I byleue vpoÌ„ god the father almyghty maker of heuen of erth This terme In deum / is diuersly Englysshed some done saye / in to god some inwardly in god / some perfytly in god But the mooste commune vse of the countrey of the vnlerned people / is to saye I byleue vpon god and vpon his fayth / but all dothe meane in effecte
swetly brene in thy loue And so without wastyng to remayne contynually and to byde / reste and dwell / with the and in the for euermore For thou alone good lord art my lord and my loue my comforth helth my lust and my lyfe my very god and moost swete soueraigne sauyour Iesu Christe / that lyuest and reignest with god the father in the vnitie of the holy ghost euer with them one god by all worldes of worldes Amen ¶ Finis An ende IT shal be meritoryous for you to recoÌ„mende your frendes quycke and deed vnto your prayers / to haue communion and to be partakers with you / at the wyll of god / as you wold be with them And so in word or in mynd to recounte them by ordre / after suche fourme as we shewed you / set forth in the goldeÌ„ pystle ¶ The ghostly chyld ¶ Syr I thanke you for all your charytable labours with me And yf it please you syr I wyl put this vnto pryntyng as I dyd your tother lesson that moo persons may haue comfort therby ¶ The ghostly father ¶ Sonne I pray you so do And here ben .ii. Alphabetes or crosserowes a prety pystle all of my translacioÌ„ I pray you rede theym and yf you wyll put theym forthe withall And our lorde god and moost swete sauiour Iesu wyll rewarde you who euer blesse you sende you the grace of perseuerauÌ„ce in his seruice and holy loue Amen ¶ The Crossrowe â–ª or A. B. C. ⧠¶ Here done folowe two ⧠opuscules or small werks of saynt Bonauenture / moche necessarie profytable vnto all christiaÌ„s specyally vnto religyous persons put in to Englyshe by a brother of Syon Rychard whytforde ¶ Alphabetum religiosorum ¶ A lytle werke of many prety deuoute lessons / set forth by saynt BonaueÌ„ture after the ordre of the Alphabete / that is to say / after the letters of the crosrowe / or A. B. C. ¶ Amite AMor / in latyn / is Amite / or loue in Englysshe / which is a thynge necessarie / not onely vnto religious persones but also vnto all christianes and commauÌ„ded of almygty god chefely to be had vnto hym selfe and secondary vnto the neyghboure / wherevpon all lawe and lernynge doth hand as in theÌ„ coÌ„prehended coÌ„teyned / for by the depe coÌ„syderacioÌ„ therof euery persone maye take occasyon to haue hym selfe in due garde warenes that he do not offende / and to kepe hym selfe sole closse / without desyre of prayse or reputacion / but rather content to be set at noughte / wherin shall be more soule helth / than to be in fauoure of people ¶ Benignite and beniuolence By the foresayde consyderacion / doth aryse benignite beniuolence / so that the persone shall vnto all other in god for hym be geÌ„tle / beningne curteys / kynde / louynge and charitable vnto no ê‘sone ouer greuous ne coÌ„berous ¶ Custody CVstody of harte doth than folowe that is to say / closse keping of the mynde from all wauerynge / voyde vayne thoughtes And lykwyse the mouthe frome all voyde speche and ydle wordes so also of all the .v. wyttes herynge / seyng / smellyng / tastyng and touchyng / all to be subdued gouerned vnder the rygur of discipline and religious behauyour ¶ Diligence DIligeÌ„ce than is moche profytable in all maner of outward werkes / aswell in diuine seruyce / as in bodyly labours neuer to be ydle / but euery where to be occupyed / yet loue well solytude to be alone and to kepe syleÌ„ce with grauyte / for so maye a persone lyue in quietude and rest / in moost clene conscience ¶ Election ELectyon here vnto is necessary / that is to saye that a persone do electe / and chuse some certeyne exercyse by syde duete wherin they may be occupyed of continuaunce / and that alwaye for the coÌ„mune welthe profyte / and not vnto propre or selfe auauntage or pleasure but rather to affecte and desyre pouerte to lyue with a lyttell in scarcyte without murmure or gruge agayne them that vsed plenty ¶ Flyght FLyght then doth well folowe this appoyntment that is to saye to fle auoyde the coÌ„pany of all maner of suche persones as shuld be coÌ„traryous vnto that appoynted exercyse / for no persone maye both serue god the worlde / ne be occupyed in thynges transytory and heuenly ¶ Grauite GRauyte is a behauyoure in a persone in wordes lokes / couÌ„tenaunce in gesture suche other disciplines whiche is a meane betwene lyghtnes waÌ„tones folysshenes roughnes cruelte rudenes lummyng / lowryng / eluskyshnes / and such other for grauite causeth euer a person to seme wyse / sadde / well manered / coÌ„stant / and faythfull and moche dothe edyfye the neyghbour / so it perseuer and continue as well in prosperite as in aduersyte / aswell in welth as in woe / in payne aswell as in pleasure and euer to prayse thanke our lorde / as well for the one as for the other / knowynge and beleuynge that he accordyng vnto right iudgement / doth alway dispence / mynyster and dispose vnto all maner of persons / without parcialite vnto the beste ¶ Humilite HVmilite maye well be ioyned vnto grauite / for the meke persone the gospell to wytnes Luc. xiiii et xviii dothe obteyne and get grace fauour both of god and man / doth moost valiauntly chase and put to flyght the ghostly enemy / auoyde all synne / mooste surely perseuer in all maner of vertue ¶ Intencyon INtende well / meane well / purpose well and you maye be sure to be rewarded well / for euery acte / werke or dede of man / is iudged after his intent for yf the intencioÌ„ sayth the gospell Mathei vi c be symple and without deceyte in wyll knowledge / than is all the werke pleasaunte and meritoryous And contrary / yf the intent be vycyate blemysshed / than is all the werke after the same maner for our lord beholdeth / poÌ„dered and weyeth the intent of the hart mynde and he loueth moche the pure / clene / symple and iuste persones ¶ Knowledge KNowe god by ryght fayth / knowe thy selfe / by due examinacion / by iust iudgement and ryght condempnacyon / know thy neygbour / by loue / kyndnes and charity For charitie of euery persone doth euer iudge the best / know thy frende / and knowe thy foo iudge no persone to be thy foo or enemye / but hym that doth consayle entyce or moue the vnto synn or els that doth flater the and fauour thy defaut And thynke thou those persones thy beste frendes that be moost playn with the / and redy to reforme in the that is amysse And beleue thou that they done moost profyte the that done moost noye the / oppresse and kepe the vnder / and then yf thou sauour of the spirite and taste well howe swete the yoke is of our lord
hym selfe Forsake hym selfe Despyse hym selfe FroÌ„ the whiche grouÌ„de he shal be takeÌ„ vp / and promoted / profecte / and atteyne to the hyght here of conteÌ„placion / and spirituall felyng of our lorde god / and moost swete sauyour Iesu / which shall from that poynte and conclusion bryng hym vnto the full perfectione thereof that is vnto hys mooste ioyfull and blessed presence / whyther he brynge vs all the bought vs. AmeÌ„ ⧠An other alphabete A. B. C. or crosrowe / in meter of the same holy saynt Bonauenture / moche praysed of many deuoute persones and therefore put into englysshe by the same brother of Syon A ⧠Alway loue pouerte / with vyle thinges be content B Be also in good workes busy and dilygent C Couet nat moch to speake but rather to kepe scylence D Deme in euery place tyme the god is in presence E Euer loue wel to fast and glotony to refrayne F Feestes for to folowe be lothe and them dysdayne G Glad be with the gladfull / With wepers wepe in dolour H Humbyl be with the meke thy betters honour I In euery thynge obey / namely vnto your prelate K Kepe charyte with all persones after theyr estate L Let your flesshe be kept vnder brought lowe by godly drede M Mundify your conscience so that you not excede N Neuer haue you propryete but naked folowe Christe O Ouerpasse with burtheÌ„ lyght this worlde with all his myst P Pyteously remembre / the passyon of thy lorde Q Quenche onely for his sake the glory of this worlde R Resyste strongly all vyce and praye contynually S So receyue the sacrament oft and moost reuerently T The mocyons of the mynde represse Ire mitigate V Vayne communycacyon shet clene out of thy gate X Xpiste to kepe couet you moost moche alone to byde Y You must chylde then / for his sake set all this world asyde Z zele haue vnto his lawe / with feruent charyte forgyue you your foes all / as you forgyuen wold be ê¯ ê¯ceyue here .ii. tytles mo ii preceptes / for ten Loue god and your neyghbour both so conclude Est Amen FINIS ¶ Thus haue we rendred the Latyn in sentence / after the same metre / in maner and measure If you lerne perfectely this crosrowe you may the better spell and do togyther / and so more redyly rede And fynally by laboure you may the rather fele / perceyue vnderstande in the schole of chryst / the duety of a christyane / which I besech our lorde we may do all Amen ♣ Valete your prayers of charyte âšœ The same wretche of Syon the sayd Rycharde whytforde âšœ Thus is ended the two opuscles / or small warkes of saynt BonaueÌ„ture / hereafter foloweth a goodly treatyse and it is called a notable lesson / otherwyse it is called the golden pystle ¶ The prologue A Good holsome lesson and profytable vnto all christyanes / ascrybed vnto saynt Bernarde / put among his warkes I thynke by some good man that wolde it shuld therby haue the more authoryte / the rather be red better be borne awaye For doubtles it is a good matter / and edyfycatyue vnto all them that haue a zele and cure vnto soule helth desyre of saluacion It is called in the title Notabile documentum that is to say / a notable lesson And some do call it the golden pystle It foloweth immedyately after a lytell werke called Formula honeste vite The forme and maner of an honest lyfe or of honest lyuynge IF you intende to please god / and wolde obtayne grace to fulfyll the same Two thynges ben vnto you very necessarye The first you must withdrawe your mynde from all worldly and transytorye thynges / in suche maner as though you cared not wether any suche thynges were in this worlde or no. The seconde is / that you gyue and applye your selfe so wholy to god / and haue your selfe in such a wayte / that you neuer do say / ne thynke / that you knowe / suppose or beleue shulde offende or displease god / for by this meane you maye sonest and moost redely obteyne and wynne his fauoure grace In all thynges esteme accoÌ„pte your self most vyle symple / and as very nought in respecte / regrade of vertue and thynke / suppose and beleue that all persones be good / and better than you be / for so shall you moche please our lord What so euer you se or seme to perceyue / in any persone / or yet here of any chrystiane / take you none occasyon therin / but rather ascrybe applye you all vnto the best / and thynke or suppose all is done or sayd for a good intente or purpose / though it seme contrary For mannes suppocicyons lyght iudgementes ben soone lyghtly deceyued or begyled Displease no person wyllyngly Ne euer speake euyl of any person / though it were neuer so true that ye saye For it is nat laufull to shewe in confessyon the vyce or defaut of any persone / excepte ye myght nat otherwyse shewe and declare your owne offence Speke lytle or nought vnto your propre selfe laude or prayse / thoughe it were true / vnto your familyer felowe or faythfull freÌ„de But study to kepe secrete pryuey your vertue / rather thaÌ„ your vyce yet were it a cruell dede for any ê‘sones to defame theÌ„ selfe Be more glad to gyue your eare hearyng vnto the prayse / rather then vnto the disprayse of any ê‘son And euer be ware as well of heryng / as speakynge of detraccyon And whan you speake take good delyberacyon / haue fewe wordes let those be true good / sadly set wysely ordred If any wordes be spoken vnto you of vyce or vanyte as soone as ye may breke of leaue the talke or coÌ„municacyon And euer retourne applye your selfe vnto some appoynted good godly occupacion / bodely or ghostly yf any sodayne chauÌ„ce fall or happe vnto you or vnto any of youres / leyne nat lyghtlye there vnto / ne care moche therfore If it be of prosperyte / reioyce nat moche therin / ne be ouerglad therof If it be aduersite / be nat ouercast or ouerthrowen therwith ne brought to sorowe or sadnes / thanke god of all / set lytell therby Repute all thinges traÌ„sytory as of lytell pryce or value Gyue euer most thought and care vnto those thynges that may profit promote the soule Fle and auoyde the persones and places of moche speche / for better is to kepe scyleÌ„ce than to speke Kepe the tymes and places of scylence precysely / so that ye speke nat without reasonable vnfeyned cause The tymes of scylence in religyon ben these From collacyon vnto the masse be ended after the houre of terce From the first grace in the fraytour / vnto the ende of the latter grace And from the begynnynge of euensong vnto grace be ended after souper
ê‘don mayster Wyllyam Bonde / in his boke called the Pylgremage of perfeccyon in the .vii. chapyter of the secoÌ„de boke and in the thyrde and .iiii. chapyters of the thyrde boke in the .iii. dayes iourney Some other ê‘sons ben deceyued onely by the corrupcyon of fantasye whiche causeth them to thynke and beleue verely that suche thynges as by onely ymagynacyon come vnto theyr myndes ben verely spoken vnto them / as some done thynke that the crowe or other byrde dothe saye or synge certayne wordes or that the bell or bellys done rynge and saye after theyr ymagynacyon And of this sorte ben many persones moche different accordynge to the disease of the hede / as the fantasye is more or lesse corrupted And yet some of theÌ„ wyll shewe many meruaylous thynges that they beleue verely for true which in dede were neuer true But these persones done coÌ„munelye shewe nothynge that is greatly euyll nor yet any greate good / but that men may fone discerne and perceyue for fantasyes ymagynacyon / except the persones were some preuey synners And than wyl the wycked speryte be redye to put hym selfe in prease / and with that corrupcyoÌ„ to helpe forth vnto illusyon But yet ben other deceyuers thoughe none of this sorte / but of a more deuelisshe sorte very ypocrytes that feyne them selfe to haue reuelacyons knowe well they haue none suche but that to deceyue the people seme in a transe or rapt / whan they wyll as we rede of Dauid i. â—eg xxi d. that feyned him selfe madde and in a rage vpon a certayne tyme For a good purpose to saue his selfe And so playde his pagyant that he frothed or fomed at the mouthe / raged as thoughe he had ben furyous and madde in dede And so done these wretches the disceyuynge of many persones wilfully and of purpose But howe to be ware of suche wretches and ypocrytes surely it is very harde For as to gyue ouerlyght credence to suche persones is agaynst wysdome so vtterly to coÌ„dempne theÌ„ or to dispyse them / is peryllous agaynste vertue Wysdome is therfore to proue well the spiryte before yet do I nowe ymagyn what many persons wyll say hereunto that is that this exercyse is a mater ouer hyghe / and excedynge the wyttes and vnderstandyng of symple vnlerned people And so is the tother worke also / wherunto I do sende them in this worke that is to say / the disposicyon and ordynaunce vnto coÌ„minyon or houselynge Wherunto I saye agayne that bothe the workes ben so deuyded into such partes that euery person may take what he wyll accordynge to his state and condicyon Rede the werke ones ouer and than chose / for I thynke there ben but fewe persones but that they may lyghtly vnderstande and vse one of those exercyses And as a great lerned man sayd of a werke that he had sende forthe althoughe this werke were so deuysed Cicero de orato ê‘fecto that fewe persones myght attayne to the full heyght and clere vnderstandynge therof yet shulde no person dispayre ne be discouraged thereby For as a prycke or marke is set in a butte for all men to shute at althoughe none hytte the prycke Those that done shute nere ben nat wtout prayse i. Cor. ix d. And saynt Paule sayeth whan there is a glayue set vp for renners all or many done renne / but one catcheth the glayue alone / and yet is it nother shame ne rebuke to wynne the seconde or the thyrde game But here in our caÌ„pe none that dothe assaye to renne / shal be without a synglar rewarde i. Cor. iii. c. For as the same apostle sayeth euery person shall receyue his propre wages or rewarde acccordyng to his labour and deseruynge And many tymes it may here fortune and come to passe / that those that come laste shal be fyrst and best rewarded Math. xx b. So sayeth our sauyour in the gospell Erunt primi nouissimi et nouissimi primi In this campe / the fyrst shal be last and the last shall in rewarde be fyrst The respect and weyght of this labour standeth nat in the bodely exercyse of the outwarde werke / but in the infors and dilygence of the wyll / put therunto your good wyll and dilygence to do what you can And thoughe it be but very very lytle that you spede or do in this exercyse that lytle lytle thoughe it be neuer so lytle yet shall it be greatly rewarded And peradueÌ„ture moch more meryte and rewarde shall the dull persone haue by that infors dilygeÌ„ce and good wyll than shall the lerned and quycke wytted persons that more lyghtly and with lesse labour done spede in this mater Let no person therfore dispayre ne take discomforte with any dulnesse For the poete sayeth Labor improbus omnia vincit Importune labour doth ouercoÌ„e all thynges And yet though some persons can by no meanes fall vnto the hyghest exercise of this lessoÌ„ let theÌ„ fall vnto prayer / and be sory that they can nat flye so hygh makyng protestacyon / and call our lorde to wytnesse / that fayne gladly they wolde do what beste myght please his goodnes / And let them there coÌ„mytte recommende betake and bequeth them selfe body and soule vnto his handes at that tyme as they intende to do at the houre of dethe And beseche his grace / that this recommendacyon bequeste may stande / and of hym be receyued for that tyme / and therwith let them saye In manns tuas c. as is beforesayd Some ê‘sones euery yere ones at the least and some .iiii. tymes that euery quarter ones / done make theyr funeralles / that is / all the solempnyte of theyr buryalles with Dirige and masse / offre theyr masse peny them selfe And after that / make a feast dele almes as thoughe they were than deed in dede buryed / also whiche custome I prayse very moch And yf that were done euery moneth ones or euery weke / or yet euery daye of them that haue abilyte and tyme therunto I wolde thynke iudge it a deuoute and meritoryous obseruaunce For those persones that by any of these / or lyke meanes done so prepare make them selfe redy to dethe may be sure neuer to dye sodenly For many persones ben sore affrayde of soden dethe / done ful hartely make prayer that they neuer dye sodenly Let them vse this maner / or some one of these formes and maner of exercyses / they may be sure of theyr prayer / that is neuer to dye sodeÌ„ly Study therfore good deuout soules to be redy at euery houre / and pray vnto our lorde Phi. i. c that you may haue the wyll that saynt Paule had whaÌ„ he sayde I couet and desyre / to be dyssolued and to departe this lyfe / and to be with Chryst Whether he brynge vs all that made vs. Amen ⧠The olde wretche youre assured beademan of Syon Rycharde Whytford